Woman pleads guilty in murder case

One of eight homicides handled by fired HCSO detective

In a last minute decision, a 24-year-old woman charged in connection with the fatal stabbing of her teenage girlfriend's mother in 2012 accepted a guilty plea in court Monday.

Just before jury selection was set to begin, Rebecca Keller pleaded guilty before State District Judge Mary Lou Keel, admitting in court that she played a role in the slaying of 48-year-old Mary Ann Murphy.

Murphy was discovered stabbed to death in her North Harris County home in July 2012. Prosecutors had accused Keller of staging a break in with Murphy's daughter, Keri, then 16, and also charged her with having sexual relations with the teen.

Keri Murphy also has been charged with murder in her mother's slaying.

In court, Keller admitted to Keel that she participated in the planning of the crime and purchased a knife that was used in stabbing. She also told the judge she assisted with staging a break-in at the home and disposed of evidence.

Keel will not sentence Keller till after Keri Murphy's trial, which is pending Based on Monday's court proceedings, it is anticipated that Keller will likely testify as a witness. Her attorney, Patrick Ruzzo, declined comment.

If it had gone to trial, attorneys in Keller's case could have potentially called to the stand former Harris County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Craig Clopton.

The veteran homicide investigator was fired in October after sheriff's officials say he disclosed having "consensual sexual contact" with a key witness in another case - the high-profile slaying of deputy Darren Goforth.

His misconduct, legal experts agreed, will undoubtedly become a factor in the prosecution of Goforth's accused shooter, Shannon Miles. However, they say defense attorneys in other murder cases also could use Clopton's admission that he had sex with a witness in the Goforth case to question his ethics and potentially impeach his testimony.